Hello! I am at college studying music education (jazz) and I've made it through the first semester without a good pair of headphones, but it was hell. I'm required to do a lot of transcribing and I think having a good pair of quality headphones would help me pick out the details without blasting my roommate and the neighbors with the stereo to hear the subtle nuances of a song. I would be transcribing mainly guitar parts if that makes a difference. I would also be using the headphones for casual listening as well.

I would definitely like to spend less than $200 on them, but I'm willing to go above that if it would make a noticeable difference. I live in Cedar Falls, Iowa. I want full-size headphones and I only plan on using them in my room. I don't know what "style" would be best for what I'm doing so I hope someone can help me with that. I like a tight, punchy bass, but I also like crisp highs. They need to be as defined as possible, with a good snap and decay so I hear the parts as clearly as possible. Overall, though, I'm looking for clarity in the guitar's range, which is roughly 82.4Hz- 1319Hz. The computer would be driving the headphones. I was recommended this site from another forum, so thanks for the help!

JK98

01-08-2013 12:13 AM

First of all, unless your pc has a good sound card, you should get a usb sound card/headphone amp, like the Fiio E10, or perhaps something even better. This will also let you use headphones up to 300 ohms.

As for which type of headphone to choose, you need to decide whether you want an open or closed headphone. A closed headphone will block environmental noise, however an open headphone will probably have much better soundstage, and will probably be more comfortable. A closed headphone may make your ears overheat with extended use. I suggest that you get a headphone that sounds neutral, rather than one with extra bass.

For an open headphone, you should consider the Sennheiser HD598 or HD558. For a closed headphone, you might want to consider the Shure SRH840. If you want something cheaper that is closed, consider the Sony V6. The V6 is very sturdy and very neutral sounding. As the model 7506 it is used extensively in recording studios, radio stations, and tv production(they usually use the pro model Sony 7506 which is identical to the V6 except that the 7506 has a slightly more powerful magnet than the V6, a gold plated plug, and a longer warranty).

Do you live near a Guitar Center or other store where you can try out several high quality headphones? Guitar Center is said to be good, except that you may need to have them match internet pricing(which they are supposed to do) to get a good deal there. I guess they will probably match Amazon pricing when you request it, however I don't know if they will price match all smaller websites.

I agree the HD558/HD598 are really good opened headphones. They're the best opened headphones under $250 IMO.

However, it looks like you are looking for a closed headphones since you don't want any sound to leak. Also, opened headphones usually don't have the same strong punchy bass as closed headphones. It looks like the best type of headphones for your need is a closed monitoring headphones such as the Sennheiser HD 380 Pro.

JK98

01-08-2013 03:47 PM

The HD380pro is a great suggestion for a closed headphone. It is said to be so much better than the HD280. I see it for $170 on Amazon. Not bad at all.